Demountable freight container



B. F. FITCH 'DEMOUNTABLE FREIGHT CONTAINER Filed Feb. 5, 1936' July 4,1939.

INVENTOR. @ew 12x6 @7085,

ATTORNEYS.

B. F. FITCH DEMOUNTABLE FREIGHT CONTAINER July 4, 1939.

Filed Feb. 3, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fin 6 7301;, r/m /ZW ATTORNEYS.

, July 4, 1939. B. F. FITCH DEMOUNTABLE FREIGHT CONTAINER Filed Feb. 5,1936 Sheets-Sheet 3 A W W F'Igi'Y INVENT OR.

ATTORNEYS.

July 4, 1939. B. F. FITCH 7 DEMOUNTABLE FREIGHT CONTAINER Filed Feb. 5,1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 E 11 5 i 5 p A.

INVENTOR. Fzq. 14; BY mw. Q71 @m,

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Patented July 4, 1939 UNITED STATES DEMOUNTABLE FREIGHT CONTAINERBenjamin F. Fitch, Greenwich, Conn, assignor to Motor Terminals, llnc.,Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application February 3, 1936,Serial No. 62,096

8 Claims.

This invention relates to a demountable truck body adapted to be carriedby a highway truck and moved intact with its load onto a railway flatcar for transportation in conjunction with other bodies on the car, thisbody being usually retransferred at the rail destination to a highwaytruck for delivery. The general object of the invention is to provide astrong and at the same time a comparatively light body adapted forcarrying a variety of merchandise and having provisions for loading andunloading in the most efficient manner.

My demountable body has a doorway for nearly the height of the body inat least one wall, and a depending tail gate adapted to form a portionof another wall, and a closable intake opening in the roof. This enablesloading through the doorway orfrom a hopper above the roof, anddischarge through the doorway or via the tail gate, according to thenature of the material carried. Preferably there are comparatively largedouble doors on each side of the container, tail gates on the other twosides, and preferably the body is provided with skid rails on the bottomand loadattaching devices at the eaves, enabling ready transfer betweenrailway car and truck by surface interchange or by trolley hoistlifting, moving and depositing. I therefore characterize this body as anall-purpose demountable container truck body.

The invention comprises a body having the various features aboveoutlined cooperating to produce the universal effect stated. It alsoincludes the floor frame, side wall and. roof constructions hereinillustrated and described. It also embodies the peculiar and veryefiicient construction of combined door locking post and ladder,enabling access to the roof of the container. The peculiarly arrangedtailgate, which may form a tight portion. of one of the walls of thebody, is also an important feature. These various characteristics areillustrated in the draw ings hereof, and hereinafter more fullyexplained, and the essential novel features are summarized in theclaims.

In the drawings, Fig. l is a side elevation of my demountable body; Fig.2 is a plan of the same partly broken away; Fig. 3 is an elevation ofthe body; Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the tail gate of the bodyas indicated on the line 4 i of Fig. 3, but on a larger scale; Fig. 5 isa detail of the door locking post and ladder of the body, being ahorizontal section on the line 5--5 in Fig. 1, but on a much largerscale; Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation of the top door construction ofthe body as indicated by the line 6-6 on Fig. 2, but on a larger scale;Figs. '7 and 8 are details in enlarged horizontal section as indicatedby the lines 'l-'! and 8--8 on Fig. 1; Figs. 9 and 10 are substantiallyvertical sections through a side wall of the body as indicated by thelines 9-9 and the body on the trailer receiving a load from an overheadhopper.

Referring briefly to the general characteristics of the body, as shownin Figs. 1 to 10, such body comprises a floor frame Ill (carrying at itstop a floor 90, 92, and at its bottom skid rails mil, as hereinafterdescribed), side walls 28 between which are double side doors til, endWalls ll! for something more than half of the upper region of the ends,tail gates 50 below the end walls M] and completing the end portion, aroof frame fill embracing the side walls 29 and end walls Ml andcarrying hoist attaching hooks El and a roof 62, a top door 10 normallycovering an entrance passageway to the roof, and suitable platforms 8E!on the roof aligned on opposite sides of the central top opening and attheir outer ends register" ing with ladder bars 85 on looking posts Milsecuring the side doors.

I will now describe specifically each of the above outlined parts.

The floor frame ll], as shown particularly in cross-section in Figs. 4,9 and 10, comprises an open rectangular frame made by four inwardlyfacing angle bars of peculiar construction secured together at theirends, and intermediate channel shaped floor beams. The four boundarychannel beams or sills ll each comprises a main vertical web 52, abottom flange l3, an inward offset M at the top of the vertical web,then a short vertical web portion l5, and finally a top flange it. Attheir ends these beams may abut each other on a miter joint orotherwise, or may overlap as by reduction in the height of the webs ofone beam corresponding to the thickness of the flanges, to enable it topass into the recess of the other beam, or splice plates may beemployed. The parts may be secured together by riveting but preferablyby welding.

The floor beams designated I l are ordinary channel-shaped membershaving top and bottom flanges l8 and i9. They extend into the recess ofopposite sills I l between the flanges l3 and I4 thereof, and aresecured thereto by welding or, if desired, by angle clips.

The floor proper comprises wooden planking 9E3, resting on the flangesE8 of the channel beams I7, and cut down at the marginal edges to extendbeneath the flanges l5 of the side and end sills. A metal top sheet 92rests on the planking and extends over the sill flanges l6 and then isbent down on the outer side of the web portions l5 of the sills, asshown at 93.

The skid rails are a pair of hollow U-shaped members I00 having outwardtop flanges IDI which are secured to the bottom flanges l3 of thecorresponding sills adjacent the ends of the skid rail. Intermediatelythe flanges of these skid rails lie directly beneath flanges of floorbeams l1 and are suitably secured thereto, as by rivets passing throughdistance plates I02.

The skid rails are spaced inward from the side edges of the body aboutone-fourth way across the floor frame to properly distribute the load onthe skid rails and also to place them in position to cooperate withdesirably spaced supporting channels on a highway truck. The floor beamsI! of the floor frame are spaced throughout the frame in such mannerthat some of them come directly over the skid rails, while others standbetween those over the skid rails, and still others are comparativelyclose to the side sills, so that the floor planking is effectivelysupported throughout.

It will be seen that the construction described is comparatively simpleand light and at the same time is very strong. The wooden planking givesthe desired elasticity to the floor but is fully pro-- tected on its topsurface by the steel floor plate, and at its edges by the sill members.

The side walls 20, as shown in cross-section in Figs' 2, '7 and 8, arecomposed of outer sheets 2 I, inner sheets 22, vertical internal woodenposts 23 and internal angle beams 24 adjacent said posts. There are twoof these posts for each side wall and each post is completely enclosedby the angle beam 24 and the internal sheet 22 with an outwardly flangedend portion thereof designated 25. The angle beams have outward flanges26 abutting these inner sheets.

The side wall construction seats in the recess provided by the portions[4 and I5 of the sill members II. The inner sheet 22 lies against thedownturned edge 93 of the floor sheet and is secured through it to theweb portion l5 of the sill. The outer sheet 21 extends down along theouter face of the main web 12 of the sill and is secured thereto, asindicated particularly in Fig. 9. This makes a very effective tying ofthe side walls to the floor frame.

To form the end walls 40, I extend the end of the side sheets around thecorner or weld to them cross-sheets extending from one side wall to theother. These end sheets are braced at their lower edges by flangedstructural members to form a downwardly facing rabbet, about to bedescribed.

At the lower edge of the sheet 40 is a horizontal angle bar 4| with itshorizontal flange facing inwardly and its vertical flange secured to thesheet 40 a short distance above the lower edge of such sheet. Behindthis angle bar is a Z-bar 42, the upper flange of which abuts and issecured to the inner face of the sheet 40, while an inclined web extendsacross the edge of the horizontal flange of the angle bar. This providesa downwardly facing transverse recess bounded by the projecting edge 44of the sheet 40, and the depending flange 45 of the Z-bar, both of whichprojecting portions cooperate with the tail gate whose pivoted upperedge occupies the recess, as hereinafter described.

Adjacent their upper edges the outer side sheets 2| and the end sheets40 are embraced by the roof frame 60. .This frame isan open rectangularmember comprising side strips 64 with parallel top and bottom edges andend strips 65, with a horiaontal bottom edge and an upwardly convex topedge as shown in Fig. 3. This roof frame is a strong steel member weldedor otherwise effectively secured to the side and end walls.

The roof frame 60, as heretofore stated, carries the lift hooks 51.These have top hook portions -facing inwardly as shown in Fig. 3, anddown wardly extending non-circular shanks embraced by stirrups 66,secured to the roof frame, the shanks of the hooks having heads belowthese stirrups. Thus the lifting stresses are carried from the hooksdirectly to the U-frame G0, and thence via the side sheets to the floorframe. The end walls 40 and the members 55 0f the roof frame effectivelyresist any inward or outward stress on the hooks in case the liftingcables are not strictly vertical.

The roof proper is made by transverse arched bars 68 secured at theirends to the side members of the roof frame, corrugated sheets 62 restingon the bars, and other bars 69 overlying the roof sheets and locatedwhere one sheet overlaps another and secured at their ends to the sidemembers of the roof frame. These under and upper cross-bars thuseffectively support the roof sheets and tie down the junctions wherethey overlap seen that this opening is surrounded by a hollow, 2"

rectangular frame, providing vertical walls about the opening andsubstantially horizontal integral extensions of these walls engaging theadjacent edges of the corresponding roof sheets. Each wall is made oftwo sheets in face engagement at ."1

their vertical portions, while the extensions are separated to receivethe corresponding roof sheets between them.

As appears in Fig. 6, the inner sheet H has an outer extension 72corrugated to lie beneath the sheet 52, while the outer sheet 13 has itsextension 14 first horizontal and then bent downwardly and upwardly toengage the top of the roof sheet 62. The inside and outside roof bars 68and 69 together hold the two sheets to the embraced roof sheet.

The side walls of the top entrance frame are composed of sheets '55 andT6 in contact on their vertical faces, while their separated lateralportions extend above and below the inner portions of the special roofsheets 62a. to which they are secured, as indicated in Fig. 9. Theselongitudinal sheets 1'5 and 16 are secured at their ends to the ends ofthe cross sheets I I and E2. The hollow frame is braced by a surroundingangle bar T1 and an internal angle bar T8, which also provides a rabbetto receive a flange of the top door.

The entire top-opening frame, composed of the sheets a l, 73, the sheetsl5, l6, and the angle bars 1T, 78, is preferably welded together intoone rigid unitary structure which, when mounted in place, is supportedby the cross beams of the roof and is tightly secured to the differentroof sheets.

The trap door 10 is preferably made of a horizontal sheet member havingdownward flanges H0, and a comparatively heavy external border member Il2 of downward facing trough form which, at its inner flange l M, abutsand is secured to the flange I In. The outer flange of the member I I2carries ears for a hinge pintle I I6 occupying ears [9 on the stationaryframe. This effectively hinges the door to the frame and enables a verytight joint when the door is closed as the boundary member I I2 snuglyextends over the upper ends of the frame members H, 12, 15 and 7 6,while the door flanges III) and I I 4 abut the inward flange of theframe member I8. At its edge opposite the hinge the trap door has a haspI I I which extends over an upstanding bracket I i 8 carried by theframe angle bar TI and adapted to receive a padlock through an openingII9 above the hasp when the door is closed, as shown in Fig. 6.

Figs. 1, 2 and 3 show at a pair of horizontal platforms extendingtransversely from the longitudinal faces of the top wall to the side ofthe body. The inner end of the platform is secured to the outwardextension of the center frame sheet I6, While the outer end is supportedby brackets 8I secured to the roof frame 60. The top surface of theplatforms is suitably roughened, as indicated in Fig. 2, to provide afirm footing for an attendant standing therein, while superintending theloading through the top opening.

The locking posts I30, which secure the side doors 3!), are constructedsubstantially as shown, described and claimed in my Patent No.2,028,771, to be issued January 28, 1936. As there set out, and as shownin Fig. 5, this postcomprises a pair of vertical angle bars back to backand a pair of smaller angle bars I3I secured to the inwardly extendingflanges of the main bars. The doors 3!) have at their free edgesprotecting channel bars 3| with outward extreme flanges 32.

When the locking post is in place, its central Web I32 lies between thedoors, and the flanges I3I occupy the outwardly facing recess providedby the flanges on the door boundary members. The upper end of the postnow extends behind the downward flange of a top Z-bar 35 (secured to theroof frame 60) while the lower end lies in a keeper 36 (secured to thefloor frame) to which the post may be locked by sliding bolts I36.

As pointed out in my patent above mentioned,

the locking post effectively holds the doors closed and prevents leakagebetween them. But it will be also observed that the doors and the topand bottom retainers hold the post against shifting in any direction. Iam accordingly able to utilize this post as the upright of a ladder bywhich one may reach the platform 80. Thus, in Figs. 1 and 5 I have shownsteel rods extending horizontally across the post and welded to it inthe mid-region of the rods. The rods preferably turn upwardly at theirends 86 and then extend backward, as shown at 81 in Fig. 5. Thisformation 86, 81 provides a convenient end flange, preventing theattendants foot slipping off of the rung. It will be observed that theladder, allowing ready access to the top, is always available when theside doors are locked, but then only. It thus acts as a tell-tale,automatically informing the attendant that the doors are locked shutbefore he mounts the roof for loading through the top.

I have heretofore referred to the tail gates 50 forming the lowerportion of the end walls of the body. These gates are. composed of twosheets of metal 5I and 52, Fig. 4, secured adjacent their edges within aboundary channel 55 which extends about the entire edge of the gate. Theupper end of the gate extends in a downwardly facing horizontal recessat the lower edge of the upper end wall 40 and is there pivoted on ahorizontal axis, as by studs 54 carried by the gate and occupyingkeepers in the adjacent portion of the body side wall 20.

When the tail gate is closed, as shown in full lines in Fig. 4, flanges56 extending from the edge of the boundary channel 55 make a closeengagement with the end-wall-flange 45, the floor sheet '92 and the endsof the lower portion of the side wall. A batten strip 51 carried by thegate now engages the outer face of the floor sill. The door is normallylocked to this end sill by gravity bolts I50 which lie within the gateand have bent ends I 5| passing through slots in the outer sheet 52 ofthe gate. These outwardly projecting ends may register with brackets I55secured to the outer face of the gate for the insertion through them ofa padlock or seal, as in Fig.3.

It will be seen from the description given that while the sides of thebody are principally doors, and there are tail gate openings in the endsand the filling opening in the top, still the entire body is so arrangedas to be very stiff and strong. The formation of the floor frame and ofthe roof make these units well braced, while the connection between thefloor frame and roof by means of double thickness side walls with theirinternal posts braced by the end wall sheets, makes a stiff and at thesame time light connecting Wall between the base and roof. The mountingof the double side walls in the rabbet provided by the floor sills formsan effective connection at this region, while leaving the outer 1surface of the body substantially flush. The double walled tail gatesare individually well braced and when in normal locked position makesuch tight connection with the floor frame and side walls as to form afurther transverse brace.

By reason of the skid rails and the lift hooks on this body, it may behandled equally well by a surface interchange between a highway truckand railway flat car, or by a hoist interchange. These operations areillustrated in Figs. 11 to 15, inclusive, thus: Fig. 11 shows a railwaycar A, the body B resting thereon, and a highway truck C coupled to thecar by end bridges D over which the body may be shifted. Fig. 12illustrates the body after being mounted on the truck.

The transfer of the body from the railway car to the truck or vice versamay be readily effected by suitably driven longitudinal endless chainson the truck which are temporarily coupled to the body. Suchconstruction is set out fully, for instance, in my prior application,No. 39,725, filed September 9, 1935. It is herein illustrated in Fig.13, where the truck C carries longitudinal upwardly facing channels E toreceive the skid rails Hill of the body, while extending alongside ofthese channels are other channels F in which are mounted endless chainswhich extend also along the hinged bridges D at the end of the truck.These chains are adapted to be driven by a suitable motor G on the truckand are temporarily coupled with the body by push-and-pull bars H, Fig.11. Thus the operation of the motor G may readily transfer the bodybetween the car and truck.

In place of the surface interchange illustrated in Figs. 11, 12 and 13,my body is equally adapted for transfer by trolley hoist, as illustratedin Fig. 14. This view shows a suitable bridge J spanning the car andtruck and traveling lengthwise of the car, and a transversely movablecrane frame K having. depending lift cables M connected to a cradle Nhaving dependingloops or shackles P adapted to engage the hooks BI ofthe body. This construction enables the body to be raised from the flatcar or truck and moved horizontally while suspended and deposited on theother vehicle.

The body described is well adapted to receive package freight of largeor small size, loaded through the comparatively large doorway on one orboth sides. It may equally well receive bulk material, such as grain,salt, etc., loaded by gravity through the roof opening, as illustratedin Fig, 15. There the top door 10 is open and the body stands beneath asuitable hopper S having at its bottom a controlling gate 8. By openingthis gate the material may pass directly from the hopper into thecontainer.

It will be noted that the side doors 30 of the container lie at theirhinged edges behind the projecting edges of the outer sheet of the sidewall, thus making tight connection in those regions. To make theconnection tight at the top and bottom edges of these doors, the doorsmay be provided with cam mechanism adjacent their hinges (illustrated at39 in Fig. 1, and described and claimed in my application No. 744,213,filed September 15, 1934.) to raise them when closed to effect a tightconnection at both the top and bottom. The tight junction of the endgates is insured by the border flange 56 engaging the floor, sides andend wall brace, and also by the depending edge of the end wall and thebatten strip at the foot of the tail gate. These features insure such atight engagement of both side doors and tail gates that there is littlechance for leakage of any commodity deposited through the top opening.

In case, however, some very fine material is to be carried, it isentirely feasible before loading the same for a man to enter the bodythrough the top opening, which is sufficiently large to enable readypassage, and paste a paper lining across the side doors and tail gates.This will prevent the material sifting out, no matter how fine. Whensuch material is' to be discharged, the paper, of course, will bereadily broken by the act of opening the tail gate.

When bulk material of any kind is used, this body and the appropriatetruck provide for the ready dumping of the body to discharge through oneof the tail gate openings, To effect this, I prefer to employ a truckhaving the channel members E, which support the body, hinged to thetruck adjacent the rear end thereof, and liftable at the front ends, asshown, described and claimed in my copending application, No. 60,248,filed January 22, 1936. This is illustrated in Fig. 12, where ahydraulic cylinder is indicated at T mounted on the truck frame andhaving its piston operating cables 15 connected to the channels E. Thehollow skid rails mo contain within them suitable locking means, as setout in my application No. 32,130, filed July 18, 1935, and indicatedherein by the hook Hi5, Fig. 4. Such hooks (two for each skid rail) maybe operated to project downwardly into engagement with keepers on theflat car or through openings in the channels E of the truck when thebody is mounted thereon. This locks the body to such channels so thatthe body may not shift thereon, and hence the body may be readily dumpedby reason of raising the forward ends of the truck channels E.

I claim:

1. A demountable freight container having a floor frame with a rabbetedupper edge, a fixed side wall comprising inner and outer sheets spacedapart, the inner sheet occupying the rabbet and secured to the uprightface thereof and the outer sheet extending across the outer face of thesill proper and secured to it.

2. A demountable freight container having a floor frame with side sillsof inwardly facing channel form with the upper portion of its web bentinwardly and then upwardly, a side wall comprising inner and outersheets spaced apart, the inner sheet being secured to theupwardlyextending inwardly-offset portion of the sill and the outersheet extending across and secured to the outer face of the sill proper.

3. In a freight container, the combination with a floor frame and roofof side walls connecting the same, said side walls being of doublethickness comprising an inner and an outer sheet spaced apart, avertical post between the sheets, one of the sheets being flanged at itsend to extend across one of the transverse edges of such post, and amember between the sheets protecting another edge of the post.

4. In a freight container, the combination with a floor frame and roofof side walls connecting the same, said side walls being of doublethickness comprising an inner and outer sheet spaced apart, a verticalwooden post between the sheets, the inner sheet being flanged at its endto extend across a transverse edge of such post, and an internalvertical angle bar on the other side and other edge of the post toentirely house the post within the metal construction.

5. A freight container having a floor frame composed of side and endsills of general channel shape, but with the web diverted inwardly and 1then upwardly and then inwardly to provide a rabbet, a side wall restingin said rabbet channelshaped floor beams extending within the recess ofopposite sills, between the bottom flange and the inward diversion, andplanking resting on the upper flanges of the floor beams and protectedat their edges by the upward diversion and top flange of the sills.

6. A freight container having a floor frame composed of side and endsills of general channel shape but with the Web diverted inwardly andthen upwardly, to provide an outwardly facing rabbet, floor beamsextending within the recess of opposite sills between the bottom flangeand the inward diversion thereof, wooden planking resting on the floorbeams, a sheet metal protection sheet extending over the planking andflanged downwardly on the outer face of the ve tical wall of the sillwhich forms the rabbet, and a vertical wall having spaced inner andouter sheets, the inner sheet occupying the rabbet and abutting theflange of the protection sheet, and the outer sheet abutting thesill-web on the opposite side thereof from the ends of the floor beams.

'7. A dernountable truck body having a floor frame with sills ofinwardly facing channel form, which channel is rabbeted at its upperportion by having its Web bent inwardly and then upwardly, a verticalmember of said truck body seating .at its lower end in such rabbet.

8. A demountable truck body having a fioor frame with side and end sillsof inwardly facing channel form, which channel is rabbeted at its upperportion by having its web bent inwardly and then upwardly, means forclosing the sides and ends of the body, all of such means seating in therabbet.

BENJAMIN F. FITCH.

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